March is when Humanities Councils throughout the U.S. visit congressional representatives to advocate for the importance of the humanities. The National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act, a piece of federal legislation signed in 1965, created the National Endowment for the Humanities, or NEH, and the Alaska Humanities Forum just celebrated 50 years as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that represents and serves Alaska as one of 56 state and territorial councils supported by the NEH.
The Forum connects Alaskans through stories, ideas and experiences that positively change lives and strengthen communities with a vision of a culturally diverse, economically vibrant, and equitable Alaska where people are engaged, informed and connected. I was first connected years ago as an educator participating in a cross-cultural immersion program, and now I have been a board member for six years and board chair for the past two.
I invite everyone in our state of Alaska to support the Alaska Humanities Forum and the humanities in general as a critical underpinning of all that we value for ourselves and our fellow human beings and communities. Please consider a donation, attend a program or subscribe to our journal, The Forum.
— Judith Owens-Manley
Anchorage
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